In the last five years, people back home… My pastime is attending funerals. Every two or three months, another one passes away. I want you all to be aware of that.
I would like to respond to what Mr. Hamilton said. For all the years I was working, I never opened an RRSP or invested in shares or anything like that. My employer told me that we had a guaranteed pension fund and that I had to contribute to it. I had no choice! They told me it was guaranteed and that I would leave with a pension, that I would not be rich, but that I would have a decent pension. But they lied! They took part of my salary. You may say that it was deferred salary, but it was my salary all the same. But they didn't give it to me; they gave it to the employer. They gave him contribution holidays that he was not entitled to.
I can assure you that we are also knocking on the province's door. A bill was tabled—Bill 194—which is along the same lines. It was introduced when there was a minority government by the MNA for the riding, Sylvain Simard. At this point, the government is saying that, if the bill is passed in Ottawa, it will harmonize its own legislation and do the same. We hope to be able to raise your awareness, so that you acknowledge our losses.
I would like to add one other thing, without wanting to sound pretentious. We had stable jobs, and we were lucky. We have nothing against social programs like Unemployment Insurance, which has now become Employment Insurance, work sharing and all the rest, but we never took advantage of these programs because we had full-time jobs. We feel we made a major contribution to society, and today, we are knocking at your door. I can't tell you how much I would like there to be a response and a recognition of the contribution made by these people for 40 years, as well as the fact that they are in the final chapter of their lives, since the average age is over 70. I appeal to all of you to do something for those who are still around by passing this bill. If the wording is problematic—I do not know whether it is or not, since I am not a lawmaker—then let's correct it so that it applies to defined benefit plans such as our own, as was said earlier. The Quebec legislation has been changed. Following our experiences, Bill 30 came into force and pension plans are now required to have a solvency ratio of 107%. I don't know whether there will be other cases like ours that slip through the cracks, but there certainly will not be many anymore.
That is what I wanted to say. I want to thank the members of the Bloc Québécois for their support. I would also like to thank the Liberals, who have always supported us up until now, as has the NDP. I also would like to thank Conservative members, and I hope we will manage to convince them. You are in government and you see the kind of predicament we are in. Even if the Bloc drafted this bill, I am sure that the changes you would like to make towards the same end are feasible.
Thank you; that is what I wanted to say.